Spirit World Protection

Deep red eyes seem all-seeing, their color blazing against narrow cheeks beneath a forehead heavy with repoussé. The elegant mask takes its white tones from applications of clay. 'This mask is used during the Nkyidwo festival by the Essumeja people in Ghana's Asanti region. The rituals are held in the Asantemanso forest, a place known to be the ancestral origin of the Asantes. These rituals are performed to invoke the constant protection of the spirit world and the ancestors,' Abdul Aziz Mohamadu explains. He names the piece Abanbo – 'Protection' in the Akan language.